City of Opelousas Tourism and Main Street unveil 2017 Christmas Ornament featuring the Old Governor’s Mansion

Opelousas Main Street, Inc. and the City of Opelousas Tourism are excited to present the 2017 collectible holiday ornament which features the Old Governor’s Mansion. The Greek Revival style home was formerly located on the corner of Grolee and North Liberty streets in Opelousas. Each ornament is constructed from solid brass which features an antique finish and comes in a gift box with the story of this historic icon.
The Old Governor’s Mansion, also known as the Homère Mouton House, was built on property that dates to a 1777 Spanish Land Grant. In 1859, the home became the property of Charles Homère Mouton, who purchased it for his wife, Célimène Dupré Mouton. It is estimated that the house was built circa 1850 – 1856. Charles Homère Mouton served as Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor in 1856. During the Civil War, when Baton Rouge was occupied by Union forces in 1862, the capital was moved to Opelousas. While Opelousas served as capital, Mouton opened his home to Governor Thomas Overton Moore for use as the Executive Mansion. Because of this association, it became known as the “Old Governor’s Mansion.”
The building was a Greek Revival structure with Italianate features. An octagon cupola, which was accessed by an outdoor cypress spiral staircase, originally adorned the home. However, the cupola was removed in the early 20th century. Sadly, in July of 2016, the old stately mansion was destroyed by fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and had been the oldest remaining governor’s mansion in Louisiana.
This 2017 collectible ornament, the sixth in a series, is an Opelousas Main Street, Inc. and City of Opelousas Tourism project. For this year’s project, City Tourism and Main Street offices worked with Main Street volunteers John Harper, Robbie Sebastien, Carola Hartley and Troy Kahler, on the design and text copy for the ornament.
The first collectable Christmas ornament which debuted in 2012 featured the famed Jim Bowie Oak and the old Homère Mouton Law Office. In 2013, the ornament featured Hope, Hook & Ladder Co. #1, one of the earliest fire companies in Opelousas, and in 2014, St. Landry Catholic Church was featured. In 2015, the ornament featured the Old St. Landry Parish Courthouse and in 2016, St. Landry Lumber was featured.
The 2017 ornament is available at select stores in downtown Opelousas which include Sebastien-Dupré Fine Jewelry, Back in Time and at the Opelousas Tourist Information Center. The collectible ornament sells for $16 each and is limited in quantity. Proceeds from the sale of the Christmas ornaments assist in preserving and revitalizing efforts for downtown Opelousas. For more information contact Opelousas Tourism at 337-948-5227 or by email at tourism@cityofopelousas.com .